Wednesday, September 30, 2015

LOS ANGELES HOMELESS CRISIS STATE OF EMERGENCY

FOX NEWS - STATE OF EMERGENCY LA HOMELESSNESS - FUNDING NOW?

EXCERPTS:

"If you walk five blocks south and one block over, you'll enter the largest concentration of homeless in the country — about 4,000 homeless living in Skid Row," said Councilman Jose Huizar, who co-chairs the City Council's homelessness & poverty committee.
"Unfortunately, that is just a small percentage of the city's homeless population," he continued. "Yes, 85 percent of the city's homeless population lives outside of Skid Row, throughout the city."
The emergency declaration and the funding will require action by the full City Council. Officials didn't say exactly where the money will come from, but Council President Herb Wesson promised it would be found "somehow, some way."
...
The first rollout of funds — projected for Jan. 1, 2016 — would go toward permanent housing and shelter, according to Wesson's office.

Garcetti had already announced plans Monday to release nearly $13 million in such newly anticipated excess tax revenue for short-term housing initiatives. The bulk of that money would be dedicated to housing homeless veterans.

Alice Callaghan, a longtime advocate for the homeless on Skid Row, said the proposed funding would not be nearly enough to stop the loss of affordable housing, especially in rapidly gentrifying areas of downtown and on the city's west side.


Friday, September 25, 2015

POPE FRANCIS MAKES HOMELESSNESS and POVERTY A PRIORITY in his VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES

Pope Francis told the bishops that they should be close to the poor, close enough to carry their scent.

USA TODAY- POPE SEES SAINT JOSEPH in HOMELESS  full article

"Addressing about 200 clients of Catholic Charities and 60 parishioners of St. Patrick Catholic Church in downtown Washington, Francis compared the poor to St. Joseph, the father of Jesus.
"Your faces remind me of his," Francis said in Spanish. "I can imagine Joseph, with his wife about to have a child, with no shelter, no home, no place to stay. The Son of God came into this world as a homeless person. The Son of God knew what it was to start life without a roof over his head. We can imagine what Joseph must have been thinking. How is it that the Son of God has no home?"


Thursday, September 24, 2015

WHEN THERE ARE NO LANDLORDS WILLING TO TAKE YOUR VASH OR SECTION 8 VOUCHER BECAUSE THE COST OF HOUSING IS SO HIGH

DAILY NEWS - OPINION BY LARRY WILSON - WHEN LOS ANGELES STREETS TURN MEAN  By Larry Wilson, San Gabriel Valley Tribune


EXCERPT:

It’s not a problem tied to one city, though, is it? Whether you are sleeping in a tent on the sidewalk on Skid Row or in the bushes off some Southland freeway, whether you are baking in a San Bernardino barranca or doing the same in a Venice Beach alleyway, it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference.

One problem Garcetti has found in his crusade is that about 700 of those still homeless in his city have federal Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers that they can’t use, because they don’t come near covering the real cost of housing in Southern California.
This is the same kind of issue that so many homeless families with Section 8 federal housing vouchers find. If no landlord will take you because they can charge more than the federal subsidy will pay, you are out of luck.


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One of our friends has tried to find housing with his Section 8 voucher.  He was told by agencies there that people in Santa Barbara are loosing their housing vouchers because of the inavailability of affordable and section 8 housing in that county.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

HOMELESS STUDENTS DOUBLE IN NUMBER - in CALIFORNIA ONE CHILD IN TWENTY IS A HOMELESS STUDENT

WASHINGTON POST - HOMELESS STUDENTS DOUBLE

EXCERPT  But California’s population of homeless children fell sharply in the aftermath of the recession in 2009-2010 and then rose more gradually until 2013 before spiking to a new height in 2014, according to the federal data. Student homelessness is also more prevalent there than in almost any other state: Nearly 1 in 20 children in California experienced homelessness in the 2013-2014 school year.   ...

The latest homeless count, an 8 percent increase over the 2012-2013 school year, is a sign that many families continue to struggle financially even as the economy recovers from the housing collapse of 2008. And it offers a glimpse of the growing challenges that public schools face nationwide as they seek to educate an increasing number of low-income children.

The impact is profound on public schools , which struggle to try to address the needs of homeless children. Teachers often find themselves working not only to help children learn but also to clothe them, keep them clean and counsel them through problems — including stress and trauma — that interfere with classroom progress.

Friday, September 18, 2015

ASK THE SHELTER AT INTAKE - HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS - CAN YOU THINK OF MORE?


HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THIS SHELTER? (Ask even if they have published some PR for their fundraising or run YouTube videos that profile a "success story" client.)

HOW IS THIS SHELTER FUNDED? Donations? Federal Funds? Veterans? State Funds? County Funds? Mental Health? City Funds?

(We'd love to know what percentage of donations from private citizens are actually used to help the homeless and HOW.)

DO YOU FIND PEOPLE HOUSING?


WHAT KIND OF HOUSING IS THAT?

Single Room Occupancy? Putting me in with another resident to be a caregiver? Section 8 housing? Another kind of housing voucher or low income program? Roommates in a shelter room? On cots? On Beds? FOR HOW LONG?

HOW LONG DOES IT NORMALLY TAKE FOR A PERSON WHO IS TAKEN IN BY YOUR SHELTER TO GET HOUSING?

Do you prioritize people who live/lived in this area?

Am I expected to pay you or give you money? Cash? Money Order? Check? Turning my paycheck over to you?

How much a day, week, or month, do you expect me to pay or give you?

HOW IS THIS AMOUNT DETERMINED? (A percentage of my GR, SSI, PAYCHECK?)
Do you save my money for me? If I want to leave how long will I have to wait to get my money? If you kick me out how long will I have to wait to get my money. (One shelter we know of gets rid of people on Friday and has no money to give back to them for weeks.)

Am I expected to volunteer as a means of paying for my stay?

How many hours a week?

What if I cannot work or volunteer?

Do you take people who are on GR/WELFARE?

Do you take people who are on SSI/SSDI?

Are other residents violent? If a roommate or other resident is violent to me, will you expect me to take care of it by myself or will you support me? What is the procedure for complaint? What if I'm being targeted for harassment?

Do you take people who are on probation or parole?

Do you take people who are mentally ill?

Are people who are mentally ill, from criminal backgrounds, or who have problems with drugs expected to share rooms?

Is there a procedure for complaining about a case manager or changing a case manager?

SOME NEW QUESTIONS ARE ON OUR SIDEBAR IN PAGESSECTION

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READERS: CAN YOU THINK OF ANY MORE QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD BE ASKED?


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

HOMELESS SHARE INFORMATION

 
 
If you're homeless and reading this BLOG, please send us suggestions, comments,
and information.  Where are you?  Are in you in a shelter?  Why are you homeless?  How long
have you been homeless?
 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS OF NEW YORK HOMELESS YOUTH By ALEX FRADKIN

ELITE DAILY - PORTRAITS OF HOMELESS YOUTH - A DIFFERENT LIGHT  go to this link for the full story and link to the portraits!

EXCERPT:

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of Reciprocity Foundation, a nonprofit charity which supports New York’s homeless youth.

In honor of the landmark anniversary, photographer Alex Fradkin created a photo series documenting the untold stories of New York’s young homeless population — nearly half of whom identify as LGBT.

The series, called See Me: Picturing New York’s Homeless Youth, features portrait-style photos paired with short essays written by the subjects.

RECIPROCITY FOUNDATION

Monday, September 14, 2015

TRANSGENDERING? TRANSITIONAL HOMELESS? STRAIGHT? GAY? QUESTIONING?

Transgendering people probably have the worst time on the street and in shelters you can have homeless.  Most of those we've met don't even bother to apply to get into shelters.  They stay in their truck till it breaks down and a sleeping bag in the park after that.  They tell us they can't even find a good place to take a shower.  They are afraid of being raped for who or what they are.  RELIGIOUS SHELTER PROGRAMS may try to change their mind or convert them.

But we think we may be able to help you a little bit.

First of all, being gay, straight, bisexual, questioning, or transgendering is NO LONGER CONSIDERED A MENTAL ILLNESS.  But you may want to be in therapy with the right therapist just for the support while you are homeless or living in a shelter.

Second of all, BE MODEST. (We're not picking on you Henry, just because you like to show off.)

Being in a shelter is not the place to be in anyone's face about anything.

For locals we suggest you reach out to services in the West Hollywood area for the best understanding.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

TOXIC F.E.M.A. KATRINA TRAILORS STILL HOME TO UNSUSPECTING THOUSANDS

VOX SCIENCE AND HEALTH - TOXIC FEMA TRAILERS  AN IMPORTANT STORY

EXCERPT: " The story of the trailers — which Grist has assembled from Freedom of Information Act requests, interviews, and the public record — goes like this: Less than 24 hours after the New Orleans levees broke, trailer companies were in touch with local officials for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), setting up contracts to provide housing for people whose homes were destroyed in the flood. Since 80 percent of New Orleans, plus a whole lot of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coastline, had been flooded, the need for housing was overwhelming. At the time, there were about 14,000 trailers in lots around the country, waiting to be sold; FEMA needed 120,000. It ordered nearly $2.7 billion worth of travel trailers and mobile homes from 60 different companies, and the production lines cranked into overdrive..."

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The story continues... the trailers with formaldehyde poisoning had warning stickers on them, which people pulled off, and they are in camps where sometimes seven people will sleep so that they can work and save money to go elsewhere...

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

FEEDING AMERICA STUDY - ONE IN SIX OR SEVEN PEOPLE ON FOOD ASSISTANCE - MILK or PASTA?

HUFF POST - AMERICAN FAMILIES - NUTRICIAN HOUSING HEALTH CARE  full article

EXCERPT:  "According to a 2014 study by Feeding America, one in seven people in the U.S. receives food assistance from its nationwide network of 200 member food banks every year.
That’s 46.5 million people who need help putting food on the table -- while also struggling to balance other everyday necessities that many others take for granted, like nutrition, housing and health care. Even with help from generous organizations like Feeding America, families still face tough choices when it comes to providing the most nutritious food possible, with many resorting to coping strategies like watering down food and nutritious beverages to make them last longer.
Faced with this harsh reality of hunger that millions of Americans experience, we’ve partnered with The Great American Milk Drive to spotlight the difficult decisions people must make to keep their families going..."

FEEDING AMERICA

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Our posts about food stamps and restaurants that take EBT are very popular.  We know people who go from one food bank to the next because their SSI or SSDI isn't enough to live on.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

ANAWIM CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY -PORTLAND - LIFE IN HELL - CHRONIC HOMELESS STRESS

LIFE IN HELL- CHRONIC STRESS and HOMELESSNESS   Anawim Christian Community   from 2012       

Quote:

It is said that the homeless are just like “us”, by which is meant “normal, middle class people”.  That is only partly true.  The homeless start out just like us, but they are re-trained to live lives of perpetual chronic stress.  While the stress level of the homeless should be obvious to everyone, it isn’t necessarily seriously considered.
A person finds themselves homeless, a place they never thought they would be in.  Perhaps, up to this point, they have even looked down on homeless people, seeing them as those who failed.  Now they are there themselves, and they do not need anyone to tell them that they need to immediately get off the streets.  So they call their family, call their friends, they contact the government, they go to shelters—and they find that there isn’t any help for them.   Now they are the ones who have failed, they are failures in the society they grew up in.  For some, this feeling of social inadequacy is overcome, but for many it continues for the rest of the time they are on the street.
Sleep is almost impossible, especially at first.  Sleeping outside is strange, even if it is warm, but often it is not warm.  The wind on one’s face, the stirring of anything—person, animal, branch blown by the wind—keeps you awake, or wakes you many times in the night.  Later on, sleep is also difficult, perhaps because one’s camp isn’t adequate for the rain, or because of fear of the many other people you share a single room with in the shelter.
Once a person is homeless for a while, they realize just how vulnerable they are.  They hear stories about people who are attacked in the middle of the night, or about police disturbing you or telling you to move early in the morning, often with their dogs and Taser guns.   The fact that you can be stopped and often are by the police just for “looking” homeless, or ticketed if you are found in a camp is enough to make you nervous.   The strange looks people give you, the complaints of shoppers if you stop in front of a store to rest, managers or church workers who yell at you for just trying to survive.
And the walking!  Some cities have all the services in one location, which means you have to deal with all the crazy people in one place.  But in most cities, many churches or agencies offer different services in different places.  This means miles of walking just to get from one meal to another.  Clothes are in one place, food in another, shelter in another.  ...  
 
FULL INFORMATION ON SHELTER, FEEDS, etc.